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Kia EV6 vs Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

What's the difference?

VS
Kia EV6
Kia EV6

$64,990 - $115,990

2023 price

Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

$54,888 - $94,990

2021 price

Summary

2023 Kia EV6
2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
Safety Rating

Engine Type
0.0L

Turbo 4, 2.0L
Fuel Type
Electric

Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
0.0L/100km (combined)

7.5L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Range is only so-so
  • Cabin layout details questionable
  • Lack of visual distinction from lesser EV6s

  • Full suite of safety costs extra
  • Some quality lapses inside
  • Ride still unsettled even on optional adaptive dampers
2023 Kia EV6 Summary

Kia’s EV6, launched in 2021, was an early signal from Kia that its talk of rearranging car-buyers’ perceptions was more than an idle boast.

Sure, the South Korean brand had gone from budget also-ran a couple of decades ago to a brand that represents reliability and quality in a very short space of time.

But a brand that was technically innovative and EV-savvy? Or capable of family cars with supercar performance? Let’s wait and see, we all said.

And now the latest member of the all-electric EV6 family has arrived, and with it Kia’s big chance to prove its point, as well as convince us that its flagship products are worthy of a six-figure price-tag.

With shattering straight-line performance and all the hallmarks of a thoroughly modern take on the electric vehicle concept (including all-wheel-drive and electronic control of everything from the suspension to the rear differential) the EV6 GT makes the technical statement it needs to.

But does it have the quality, the specification and the overall appeal to justify a price-tag that was unimaginable in a South Korean car until very, very recently?

The fact is that technical merit is not enough – never has been – when it comes to making a macro price-point shift in the minds of consumers.

Any model seeking to reset the value proposition of an entire brand needs to be more than the sum of its parts. But does the EV6 GT achieve that rare distinction? That’s what we’re here to find out.

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2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class Summary

ONE of the great motoring successes of the past decade has been the Mercedes-Benz GLA, catapulting the brand to unparalleled prominence in the premium small SUV field and kicking off the posh little coupe-hatch crossover craze.

Cynics might say that it is essentially a jumped-up A-Class hatchback, much like the Subaru XV is basically an Impreza in stilettos. But while the small German crossover is built on the same MFA2 platform as its smaller transverse-engined Benz brethren, no body panels are shared, granting it a distinct look and personality. Unlike the little Suby…

The H247-series GLA launched in Australia in 2020 is second-generation, featuring a longer wheelbase and appreciably more space, but a shorter overall length than the popular original from 2013. It's also substantially taller.

Here we take a long, hard look at the bestselling GLA 250 4Matic.

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Deep dive comparison

2023 Kia EV6 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

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